


Jess

by Wyldkat



Series: Bring them Home [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 07:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19942519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wyldkat/pseuds/Wyldkat
Summary: Jess is very much a lost sheep, until he meets a special border collie with a mandate to "Bring them Home".





	Jess

The wind blew down the street, disturbing the faded litter. A small border collie stepped slowly out of a shallow door way. The fact that the door behind her was boarded up would have raised some eyebrows, if anyone had seen her.

Mariah paused and sniffed the air. Her next assignment was nearby. She looked around then moved up the street, the wind ruffling her coat, forming an almost halo around her neck. A couple of doors down, she found a human male in that indeterminate age between teen and adult. Despite the sharp wind he was dressed in a thin shirt and snug fitting jeans.

He rubbed his arms for warmth, leaned out of the doorway and looked up and down the street. Seeing only an empty street, he stepped back letting the doorway block the worst of the wind.

Mariah walked up, tail slowly wagging and barked a greeting.

“Hullo pup. You lost?”

Mariah barked again and stepped into the doorway with him. He smiled and reached down for a pet, almost out of habit. “Yer a friendly fellow, ain’t ya?” He scratched an ear for a moment. “Hmm, it is fella isn’t it?” He knelt down and looked first at her back end then at her belly. “Sorry, girl. Hard to tell sometimes.”

Mariah wagged her tail and licked his cheek to show that there were no hard feelings. It wasn’t like humans could tell by smell after all.

“Sorry girl, I don’t have anything to eat.”

She just wagged her tail and lay down behind him. While food would not be declined, it really wasn’t necessary any more.

He shrugged and went back to looking up and down the street. At one point a car pulled up and he went out to talk to the driver. After a few minutes he got in and they drove away.

Mariah whined but did not move from her spot. After a while the young man returned.

“Still here?” He smelled different and looked tired, but not upset. She sat up and barked when she saw the remains of a hotdog in his hand. He held it out, smiling. “I kept it just in case.”

She graciously accepted the small morsel then nudged him in the leg, asking for more scratches. Food was okay, but scratches and pets were better. He laughed and obliged.

He left a few more times during the night, always coming back tired but with an air of grim satisfaction about him.

Finally he stepped out and started walking, arms wrapped around his chest for warmth. Mariah got up and started to follow. “So you want to come home with me?” She wagged her tail and kept following. “I don’t really have a home, not now at least.” She just lowered her head and kept following. “Okay.”

They turned into the doorway of an old, worn out building. He paused and moved the boards out of the door and half nodded for her to go in. Mariah moved in, pausing to sniff the air. It smelled of people, some with poor hygiene habits, urine, old food, and something that raised the hackles on her neck; something oily and evil.

He pulled to boards back into place and stood for a moment. The only light came from the streetlamp outside leaking in through the boards on the windows. “It’s not much, but it keeps the wind off.” He started moving carefully across the room. “It’s a bit warmer upstairs.” One hand on the railing he went up the stairs, avoiding spots that were weak. Mariah watched him, paying attention to where he put his feet and then trotted up behind him. They went into a back room where two young girls and another young man sat around a small grill. A couple of broken chairs and cots were the only other furniture in the room.

“Oh, who’s your friend, Jess?”

“I don’t know, Kay. She just showed up at the corner and stayed there all night. Didn’t move until I started for home.”

“Well, I’m not giving up any of my food for a mutt.”

“Relax, Brian. If she wants to stay, I’ll take care of her.”

Mariah flicked an ear and snorted at Brian. She turned in a small circle, found a comfortable spot and lay down a few feet from the grill.

Kay laughed. “Well, she looks like she wants to stay. At least for tonight.”

The fourth person raised her head, looked through bleary eyes then dropped back down into a heap.

“Where’s your take?” Brian demanded. Jess pulled out a stack of bills and handed them over. Brian took the money and shoved it in an old sock and dropped onto his cot. “That mutt makes a mess you’re dealing with it.”

“She’s not going to make a mess, are ya girl?” Jess sat down on the floor next to Mariah and rubbed her ears.

As night slowly turned to dawn everyone drifted off to sleep.

It was early afternoon before Jess stirred. He slowly sat up from where he’d been laying, using Mariah’s flank as a pillow, stretched and yawned. She stood up, gave a good stretch and wagged her tail.

“Want some breakfast?” He stood up, grabbing a small pack and some clothes and started for the door. At the front door he stopped long enough to put on a tattered jacket.

They walked down the street to a local convenience store. The attendant waved at him and ignored the dog. Jess walked to the restroom in the back of the store. He pulled out a small shave kit, some soap and a wash cloth and proceeded to shave and clean up as best he could. Drying off he pulled on a clean shirt, shoving the dirty one into a small bag.

In the store he picked up a donut, a hotdog and a cup of coffee. Outside he offered the hotdog to Mariah and stood there sipping his coffee for a few minutes. Tossing the wrappers into the trash can he started walking. Eventually they ended up in a slightly better part of town, where the buildings didn’t look as sad and decrepit. Jess went up to a man that had about him a smell that was reminiscent of the dark oily smell from the night before. Mariah whined and dropped back a few steps; lowering her head and shoulders, she stared at something behind the man.

Jess handed the man some money, took a small pack and started back towards the condemned house he called home. Once back in the house he took the drugs and collapsed on the cot. Mariah sighed and lay beside the cot.

After night fall Jess shook off part of the drug haze, and wandered back out onto the street. He found his way back to the doorway where Mariah had found him and leaned against the wall. Mariah settled in the doorway. She nudged him, asking for pets and scratches from time to time and greeted him when he’d return from his trips, but otherwise she stayed out of the way. She followed him home again at dawn where once again, Brian took the money and shoved it into the sock.

They fell into a comfortable pattern: up around noon, clean up and breakfast at the convenience store, drugs down town, sleep off the drugs, on the street at night, home around dawn. Brian left her alone and she did her best to ignore him and the darkness around him. Kay sometimes offered her food, and ear rubs. The other girl, Brenda, was always in a drug induced haze when they got home and was usually gone by the time Jess got up. Weeks slowly passed, running into months and the weather got warmer.

One morning in early spring, Mariah woke Jess up before noon. By running between his cot and the door she persuaded him to follow her. She led him to a small park where she got him to play fetch with her. By the time he tired of the game and took notice of the time, his usual dealer was gone from the corner.

Jess was irritable that evening. He didn’t offer her any food and hardly gave her any ear rubs. When he collapsed onto the cot he was tired and cranky but had problems sleeping. The next day he skipped the clean up and headed straight for the corner.

Mariah let him go back to his routine for a few days and then got him up early again. Jess got involved in playing with her and lost track of time again.

She let him have his drugs for a few days and then would cajole him to go to the park and play for a day.

One day he didn’t run from the park to try and find his dealer. He slept better that night.

The next day he paused after washing up and feeding Mariah and looked around. Part of him wanted to go find his dealer, but another part wanted to go to the park. Mariah looked up at him, looked toward the park and barked. He laughed and waved her on. They spent the afternoon in the park playing and herding squirrels.

The next day it was overcast and damp and Jess was back to being irritable and no amount of effort could get him to go to the park. Brian came in with a “special treat” for everyone. No one went to work that night. The next morning Brenda would not wake up. Brian took her away, leaving Jess and Kay to dispose of her meager belongings. When they were done they took turns hugging Mariah and crying.

The next day Jess took Mariah to the park. She trotted along beside him happily wagging her tail. They played in the park all day, watched by an old man who was feeding the birds and squirrels.

The second day after Brenda died they went to the park again. Jess was irritable, but seemed determined to stay in the park until it was time to go to work.

The third day he was shaking and could hardly get up from the cot.

“Hey Man. I got some stuff. Let me fix you up.” Brian held up a small bag.

Mariah silently moved to stand between Jess and Brian. Lowering her shoulders and head, she started fixedly at the darkness behind Brian. She made no sound, just stared. When Brian tried to move around her, she shifted her position and stayed between him and Jess.

“Go ‘way.” Jess waved and hand.

“Okay, your life. That stupid mutt is acting weird.”

“She’s g’rdin me.” Jess dropped back to sleep. When he woke up he staggered to the bucket they kept for emergencies and emptied his bladder followed quickly by his stomach.

For three more days Jess could hardly get up. Kay would bring him food and water and sat across the room starting at him in horror and fascination. Brian tried several times to get him to take a fix, but always ran into intervention in the form of a border collie.

On the fourth day he staggered down the street to the store and tried to clean up. He didn’t have any money, so he had to skip on breakfast. Mariah patiently led him to the park where the old man was sitting on the bench. Jess collapsed on the bench while she wandered around sniffing at all the plants.

“I’m David.” The old man held out a hand.

Jess weakly shook the hand. “Jess.”

“Who’s your friend, Jess?”

“I’ve never really given her a name. I guess Wendy, since she blew into my life a few months ago.”

“That’s a pretty name. Why don’t you see if she’ll answer to it.”

Jess whistled softly. “Wendy, come here girl.”

Mariah stopped and looked back. It wasn’t her name, but it didn’t matter. What did matter was answering. She trotted back to the bench. David held out a small piece of sandwich for her.

“I guess she knows her name.”

“You look like you could use a good meal yourself, son.” David held out the rest of the sandwich to Jess.

Jess swallowed, look around, then took the food and quickly ate.

“Do you have some place safe to stay?”

“Yeah, we got a place.”

“Ah, but is it safe? I know a place.”

“Safe enough. Wendy here keeps me safe.” Jess stood up to go. “Thanks for the food.” He started out for the street, and work. Mariah started to follow, pausing for a brief second to look over her shoulder at David.

Not all of Jess’ costumers came in cars now that the weather was warmer. Some walked up to his doorway to discuss business. One guy started slapping and pushing him, saying that he wanted his money’s worth. Mariah came out of the doorway, growling and grabbed hold of his pants leg in her teeth. Shaking her head she pulled back, distracting him enough that Jess could get away. Once Jess was out of reach, she released the pants and backed off. Barking loudly she put herself between Jess and his unhappy customer.

The man left saying that he would make Jess pay one way or another.

Jess dropped to the ground and wrapped his arms around Mariah. “Oh, Wendy, what am I going to do? You saved me, but he’s going to cause trouble.”

Mariah stood up, tugged at his cuff and started walking. She paused a few yards away and looked back to make sure he was following. Jess got up and started walking, wondering where she was headed at this time.

She walked away from the condemned house, away from the convenience store and the drugs. She walked for over an hour, always pausing every few yards to look back. She stopped at a non-descript door in an alley and started barking.

The door opened and David stepped out. “You here already, girl?” He looked out and saw Jess. “Come in, Son. You’re welcome here.”

“What is this place?” Jess slowly walked in and looked around, finding himself in a fair size kitchen.

“This is Saint Paul’s Missionary. We’re a halfway house for people in need. People need some place safe while they get themselves straightened out and back on their feet.”

“Why did she, I mean how did Wendy know?”

“You’re not the first, son. And I doubt you’ll be the last. Come in, sit and be welcome.”


End file.
